Climate change is taking a toll on the world’s oceans, with corals in Florida suffering and billions of snow crabs perishing in the Arctic.
In response to these dire circumstances, global efforts are underway to protect 30% of the world’s marine areas by 2030 as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The high seas, which constitute roughly two-thirds of the planet’s oceanic surface beyond national jurisdiction, are particularly in need of protection due to the absence of a comprehensive international policy for their conservation.
A major step forward came with the adoption of the High Seas Treaty in June 2023 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Expected to come into effect in 2025 after ratification by 60 nations, the treaty aims to introduce tools for marine conservation in these international waters.
This treaty not only acknowledges the significant threat posed by climate change but also recognizes the need for specific measures to counteract it.
As marine species shift their distributions in response to changing conditions, strategies for protection must adapt accordingly, requiring improved coordination and planning across global and national boundaries.
Learn from the North Atlantic
The North Atlantic plays host to some of the most important ocean currents on the planet. The Gulf Stream, carrying warm subtropical water northwards, and the Labrador Current, moving cold water southwards around Greenland and down Canada’s eastern coast, are key players.
The meeting of these currents creates a nutrient-rich area filled with eddies, fostering high productivity that’s essential for wildlife and supports some of the world’s best cod and lobster fisheries.
These rich fishing grounds are governed by a complex web of regulations. The Canadian waters are just one part of this puzzle. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) oversees certain regions, while the Oslo–Paris Convention (OSPAR) and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission monitor others.
Together, they aim to manage and protect the marine environment, although their areas of control often overlap.
Canada has implemented several measures to conserve these waters. Fishing methods that touch the sea bottom are restricted, and marine protected areas have been established that encompass the entire water column.
NAFO has also set up closures to safeguard vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as deep-water corals and sponges. OSPAR has designated a marine protected area called the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea Basin (NACES), to conserve seabirds, whales, and seafloor ecosystems.
Conservation measures in isolation can’t fully address the interconnectedness of these ecosystems. Birds nesting in Canada migrate to feed south of Greenland post-nesting, and whales traverse the entire region.
The Flemish Cap, with its rich invertebrate communities, is likely genetically linked to the seafloor communities of NACES. Climate change will intensify these connections, with species possibly entering Canadian waters via the Labrador Current.
These shifts in currents and species distributions will demand increased coordination across the region to manage fisheries effectively.
OSPAR has taken some steps to address these changes by planning a network of marine protected areas stretching from south of Greenland to European waters.
This network aims to protect endemic and native species, ensuring their populations can withstand diseases, heatwaves, or other environmental events. However, these protections aren’t formally coordinated with Canada or NAFO, highlighting the need for a more cross-jurisdictional approach.
Greater cooperation is critical but can be slow to implement. OSPAR’s NACES plans took about five years from proposal to final approval.
With climate change speeding things up, the High Seas Treaty can’t afford such delays. It must streamline marine protected area designations and devise strategies for ecological changes. Three key steps can kickstart this process.
By observing how the North Atlantic manages its diverse and productive ecosystems, other regions can adopt similar cross-jurisdictional approaches.
Utilizing collaborative efforts and timely interventions can help protect marine biodiversity and sustain fisheries in the face of climate change.
The High Seas Treaty must learn from these examples, promoting faster, cooperative, and adaptive management strategies for global ocean conservation.
Collaborating Among Science and Governance Organizations
Fisheries management, scientific research, and governance organizations play key roles in adapting to and combating climate change.
Entities like the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and the OSPAR Commission are crucial players in this effort.
Coordinating the vast amount of data and trends they collect can significantly improve the response strategies and ensure a seamless integration into regional plans when the treaty becomes active.
Immediate Steps to Consider:
- Data Sharing: Provide shipping companies with information on seabird and whale movements to minimize ship strikes.
- Impact Reduction: Assist fisheries bodies in lessening their effects on non-target species through improved data.
These steps can provide immediate benefits and lay the groundwork for more extensive cooperative efforts.
Various organizations are already taking significant measures.
For instance, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas is actively working in this space.
Moreover, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission has developed a toolkit for advising on species migration patterns influenced by fishing.
Another noteworthy example is the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
This organization brings together 700 marine institutes across 20 member countries, addressing climate change impacts on marine life, fisheries, and conservation across key regions like the Arctic, Atlantic, and Mediterranean.
It’s vital for all these bodies to accelerate and synchronize their efforts.
With the treaty coming into force, there’s an unprecedented opportunity to create a comprehensive and effective global response to the challenges posed by climate change in marine environments.
Develop Regional Climate Conservation Plans
Systematic plans for managing conservation across the high seas and national waters require thorough development.
Leveraging existing measures and knowledge about the impacts of climate change on marine species is vital.
The High Seas Treaty includes a provision for a science and technical body to advise its secretariat, focusing on species movements and changing oceanographic dynamics due to climate change.
Scientists and managers must ensure that habitats and ecosystems are represented across multiple sites to enhance resilience against climate change.
They should consider comprehensive networks that encompass the large-scale movements of species and their population dynamics.
With the use of computer modeling, they can simulate species shifts.
These models, combined with an understanding of key biodiversity areas and existing national water protections, can help identify priorities for high-seas conservation.
Conservation plans that consider climate change have been successfully implemented in various ocean regions, including the OSPAR area, which serves as a good example.
Important frontiers to consider include extreme events like marine heatwaves and planning for species movements in all three dimensions: latitude, longitude, and depth.
A recommended approach for marine protection plans is the ‘reference, core, and flexible’ strategy, which involves three essential steps:
Core Protected Areas: Establishing a core set of fully protected areas. These protections should extend throughout the water column, serving as reference points to understand the impact of climate change on biodiversity without human influences like fishing.
Fixed Conservation Areas: Designing a complementary system of fixed conservation areas to represent key habitats and species. These areas should incorporate both current locations and future ranges predicted by simulations.
Flexible Measures: Supplementing the core network with flexible measures that can change over time and space. These adaptive measures account for unexpected species movements, new data, and improved climate models.
Table: Key Elements of ‘Reference, Core, and Flexible’ Strategy
| Strategy Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Core Areas | Fully protected zones extending throughout the water column |
| Fixed Areas | Conservation sites for key habitats and species in both current and projected future ranges |
| Flexible Measures | Time and space-adjustable measures to accommodate species shifts and new climate data |
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is an example of transformation due to repeated coral bleaching.
Similarly, the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area in Canada offers a permanent core element protecting a major whale migratory route.
Lobster and crab fishing closures that prevent entanglement when whales are detected show how flexible elements can be effectively tailored to specific species’ needs, such as the North Atlantic right whales.
Such systems can be planned across both national waters and the high seas, especially for species that often cross jurisdictional boundaries and are expected to move due to climate change.
Recent proposals to trade commitments between nations aim to meet the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
These hinge on biodiversity targets that are verifiable across boundaries, underscoring the importance of systematic conservation planning for climate change.
When done well, this planning can minimize costs while efficiently conserving moving species and ecosystems, benefiting both fisheries and other ocean users.
Establish Governance Mechanisms and Build Capacity
Countries and other parties need to start laying down strategies as they head into a series of preparatory meetings leading up to the treaty’s ratification.
At the first meeting scheduled for this month, planners can begin setting up structures and procedures for conservation under changing climates.
They need to empower the treaty’s science and technical body to tackle climate change and to encourage regional climate conservation plans.
Establishing mechanisms to address species shifts and coordinating with other governance entities will also be on the agenda.
Support from non-governmental organizations and scientists will be essential throughout this process.
Preparing for El Niño and Marine Heatwaves
The arrival of El Niño brings a heightened risk of marine heatwaves. Addressing these challenges requires a strong focus on building capacity.
It’s crucial to develop a shared scientific understanding of how species shift their ranges in response to climate change.
Conservation measures under the treaty need to be robust and long-lasting.
Although models simulating species movements and ocean changes are complex and mainly based in high-income countries, they are indispensable tools for long-term planning.
Accessibility of Simulation Models
There are freely available models that predict range movements for various marine species across many potential future climates (see, for example, aquamaps.org).
However, regional ocean models used for high-resolution simulations of physical changes, such as those in the North Atlantic, are often targeted to specific areas and may not be easily accessible for researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
Funding and Capacity Building
The High Seas Treaty has provisions to establish a committee that will focus on capacity building and marine-technology transfer.
To support these activities, a dedicated fund will be created.
National research-funding agencies and foundations can offer additional financial support and take up significant roles as treaty partners.
For instance, the Belmont Forum is a consortium of national research agencies from various nations that collaborate to tackle global environmental issues.
